VOL- xxxvii
nickel S Footwear!
Extremely large stock of winter footwear at away
down prices.
If you are in need of boots, shoes or slippers of any
kind call and see us and we will suit and please you.
JSSHOLIDAV SIJP pKRS|-
«s*sxs*ews* s*»- ! s^«s^»-®'<SKSKe* ea » ! »<s> < B >s s> e '
Have you been thinking of Xmas, we have a large
stock of Holiday slippers—aP the new and latest
pattern -J—at very low prices.
LAD IKS FINE SHOES.
"SOROSIS," The New Shoe for women—The
ma- erpiece of the shoemakers art and standard of
the wor d. High or medium cut box-calf, tine
d >nu' la. enamel and patent lefther, button or
lace in light or he ivy soles.
Cu-iiuonet turn shoes unequalled for their comfort qiving and
lone wearing qualities —all styles.
Co mplete stock of The Nettleton fine shoes tor men in .he
latest styles. , ,
Large stock of (Jokey's shoes—High cut, hand-pegged bo
t ->e b >ots ami shoes for driller- Our line of school .hues is com
plete Gok'jy's high-cut copper toe shoes for boys and high cut
heavy kip shoes for girls. We wish to call your spec,a. attention to
our extremely large stock of FELT and RUBBER goods which we
bought early. We are prepared to ofler you some great >argai..s.
Large stock of Ladies' and Gent's overgaiters and Ladies and Chil
dren's tine Jersey Leggins. Full stock of sole leather and shoe
makers supplies. Sole leather cut to any amount you wish to pur
chase High iron stands with four lasts at s oc -
Sample Counters Filled with Interesting Bargains.
JOHN BICKEL,
128 SOUTH MAIN STREET. - - BUTLER, IJA1 J A
j? floney having Opportunities, g
S THESE PRICES MEAN S
f? BIG SAVING TO YOU *1
U m : JAt KKTS. CAPES AMI M RS-To buy elsewhere is Uk
▼ i absolute extravagance. Nobby Jackets, lined tnrougn
(\ Jt/Jkj ou t 85.00, ffi.3o, ->s.co ami ?1". ....
40 rfWS IMush, Cloth and tiolf Capes, SO.OO to lln.OP.
JO P7* Misses Jackets and Keefers. to jlO.Oii. \
U VTjTI pine Fur Nerk Scarfs, ja.tX), J3.00. *l.l*l and up.
WARM BI.ASKETS The sto"k is larirc and the prices
Jf Htt iR are as comfortable as you'll find the .llunkets them- jpl
JIL-M■ mi V selves Large cotton blankets, worth <•■<• ai wv.
t A \ s.-arlet and plaid blanket", worth J.i.i'o at v-.W. JA
0f t \\U \ \ All wool white blankets, ?1.00, ?4.0u. £."» <»> and JG.On. m
\ Vine sanitary grey and fancy plaid blankets, ».!«'
J UNDERWEAR. $
m // / \ For Men, Women and Children.
U Men's heavy fleeced underwear 50e.
Men's natural wool underwear SI.OO. '
Women's tteeced underwear "»and JOC.
J0 Women's tine wool underwear *I.OO and am
JO Children's underwear in cotton and wool at less prices than elsewhere
S LINENS. 5
Every careful housewife worth the name, cherishes j ~ y rt
handsome damasks. Vou might as well have the new- ,<4- .-? r
est designs as uot. Lots of new ones here. Wo quote .»»
just two sample values: Heavy cream damask, 01 1 |^|^.Nf , ; 'J
- . '.Jfl: m
Fine bleached double damask 4 tts inches wide, all 'J*
pure linen, worth $1.25 at SI.OO.
IL. Stein & Son,, |
£ 108 N. MAIN STREET. BUTLER, PA £
I lit Men don't buy clothinp for the
jH I JU (J I yMjUPj]JI purpose of speciiiug money. They p
/||>F 1= SWmSiHi Itl desire to pet tbe best possible re- J"*,
M.l JL! A. J] H feulls 1< r tlie nif.i;ey t xj,ended. Not
/ 31* ' cbeap goods but goods as cheap as
V MM tbey ceii be solil for nd marie up
|l ibirj' .-'t ibc- correct price, call and
I \ V(I t f\ cxfinnt e (tit laipe si ick t.l I'ALL . <
1 \ mi'MiMm \!i f V and WINTI:K wiaGHTfc— L
\l nam -M •jl LATEST STYLES, SHrtDES
uM K E 0 K
Fit and Workmanship Guaranteed.
G. F. KECK, Merchant Tailor,
142 North Main Street, >= Butler, Pa
C. E. MILLER 9 SHOPMAN j
Makes a Grand Offer to the Trade.
A GREAT REMODELLING SALE.
We iVUst Have Money, We Must Have Room.
We are a big change in our building. Nev\ basemt-nt
new front, another -,l<>ry and a large addition on the rear. Our large
ami increasing ir.ide makes it necessary tor us to make this change,
and to make this change we need money and room. Ot.r tall goods
arc all i:i and our building is packed from cellar to root. While we
don't pi'ispose to lt.se any money on these fresh, seasonable goods,
we intend cutting • >nr profits so as to m:ike this largr; stock move
quickly. To our old ti :de we just have to say to them, we are going
to close some goods cheap; they know what it means.
TO OUR NEW FRIENDS.
We wish to say that when we advertise a sale of goods it ii
gc iuin ;,tII r1 • tratle knows it anil approves a:ul profits by it. Wt
wish to impress on your minds that just now we are having a Great
Sale of Shoes, just such as you need at this time of the year. Bettei
take advantage of this sale.
G. IS. MILLER.
HANDSOME COUCH FREE
DON'T SEND IS ONE CENT.
Here is an honest offer. You can get this magnificent
Upholstered Couch and one half dozen Sterling
Silver Plated Tea Spoons FREE. There is no
'"f ' hance or deception. We speak the truth and noth
"-SN>nK l>ut the truth. We are determined to introdm e
" OLICk.M AID" Rennet Tablets for making
delicious desserts, into every nousehoKl, and everv
▼ person who will soil only twelve packages, will
receive our generous offer of this handsome 1j ph«>l
stered Couch, with one half dozen Sterling Silver Plated Tea or Dessert Spoons which we give absolute
ly Iree for selling only twelve packages at 10 cents a package. If you agree to sell the 'I ablets
write to-day and we will send them by maii. When sold you send u* the $1.20 and we guarantee to
send your premium the same day, all expenses prepaid, absolutely Free. If you wish us to send the
premium at once with tlie 12 packages of Rennet Tablets remit $1.20 with the order and prem
ium will be sent immediately. We arc an old, reliable concern, with a reputation for square and honesl
dealing, and we guarantee'to d.» exactly as we say. The Silverware is Ruaranteed silver-t>latcd on
pure metal. The Couches are full size, over 6 feet long .tnd over 2 feet wide. They are well stuffed,
beautifully upholstered with handsomely colored vclour, and when shipped are sent from the factory by
Lreignt direct to your adtlress,
TBANJvI.LN rHKMK!Af.
Subscribe for the CITIZEN
THE BUTLER CITIZEN.
Headache
Is often a warning that the liver is B
torpid or inactive. More serious B
troubles may follow. lur a j rumiit, £ i
efficient cure of Headache a fc.
liver troubles, take
Hood*& PBH& |
While they rouse the liver, fej
full, resular action of the bowtU. M
thev do not gripe or pain. do not Hg
irritate or 'aflame the internal 01 f r . •: »
but have a positive tonic eftect. Ue.
at all drusrslsts or by mail of fcg
C. i. 11 '■ ■'
CATARRH
LOCAL* DISEASE
and is the result cf col !" i.na i^B: COLD
sudden climatic change*. W9,
For your Protection KHtffEVEft QjZ i
we positively state ti*at t'..3 Bl
remedy does n>»t cont.rn fcj . i©?-
mercury or any other injur-
Ely's Cream Baim
is acknowledged to be the most thorough cure for
Nasal ( atarrh,Co!d in Head and J lay Fever of a.l
remedies. It opens ar.d c ;nses the nasal passages,
allays pain ana inflammation, heals the sores, pro
tects the membrane from colds restores thn sens 3
of taste and smell. Price 6«v. nr Druggists or by mail.
ELY UKOTH£US, 6* Warren Street, New lurk.
\ Tee Cure that Ceres /
$ Coughs,
\ Golds, ji
,1) Grippe, (k
\ Whooping Cough, As*hma, I
s\ Bronchitis and Incipient A
CJ Consul-notion, is
\ O /J
\ "I
k The AIRMAN remedy* (I
V Cures •axvd VUTVQ J
Butler Savings Bank
. .m t le- r". Pa.
Capita] f6o,uuo.<*
Surplus . n<l Profits - - *200,000 co
JOS. L Pl'KVlis President
J. HENRY TROIJTMAN Vice-President
WM.CAMPREI-L Jr r s' l ;"' r
LOUIS B. STV.N
DIRECTORS -Ifiseph' I. nrvtb, .1. He: r
Tnv.traan. W. I> Ur».n<io»i. w. *■ Stein .1 v
CamDbell.
The Kutler Savings Hank is the Oltiest
Ranking Institution', n Butler County.
General banking business transacted.
We solicit accounts of «il prcducers. mer
:hants. farmers, and others.
Allboslntss entrusted to us will receive
ironistattention.
InrereK* paWl on tiin* deposit s. ________
T M K
Buticr County National Bank,
Hvitier Penn,
Capital paiil in - - S2OO, cro.i
Surplus and Profits - f6", coo.o
fos. Hurtman, President; J. V. Ruts,
Vice President; John G. McMarlitr,
Cashier, A. G. Krug, Ass't Ca-hier
A general banking business transacted.
I uteres 1 paid On time deposits.
Money 1 janed ou approved security.
We invite you to open an account witli this
3.ink. , „
DIRECTORS— Hon. Joseph Ilartman, Hon.
W. y. Waldron, I>r. \. M. Hoover. ll■ Mf
'weeney. C. I'. Collins I. G. Smith. Leslie 1*
Hazlett, M. Firiegiri. \Y. 11. Larkin, Harry
Heaslcy, Dr. W. C. McCandless. Hen vi-..
wth. \V. J. Marks. J. \ T . Kitts. A. L. Kelbei
THE
Farmers' National Bank,
BUTLER, PENN'A.
CAPITAL PAID IN, Sioo.oco.oo.
Foreign exchange bought, and sold.
Special attention given to collections.
OFFICERS:
JOFN VOUNKINS President
JOHN HI'MPIIREV Vice President
3. A. HA 1 LEV Cashier
B. W. BINGHAM Assistanl Casl.h r
I. I HUTZLER Tell, r
DIRECTORS.
John Younklns. I>. L. Cleeland. E. E.
Muaras. C. N. Boyd, W. F. Metzger, Henry
llllir, John Humphrey. Thus. Hays, Lev
VI. Wise and I raie-is Murphy.
I uteri s! paid on time deposits.
We respectfully solicit your business.
A Safe
Soap
When a woman hangs
si out the clothes after
a wash with
WALKER'S
SOAP
she knows they are unin
jured by alkali. There's
no free alkali in
Walker's Soap.
Look for the
r-Jfflfaroost'r on
the wrupprr.
Y\ OO a P ostal card to
Dnllr ° rcail u p n ° 4>
"I IWI of tlie People's
l'iione or l)ciI
122-3 and
W. B. McGEARY'S
aew wagon,'ruunlng'tojaml from Mis
Steam Carpet-Cleaning
istablishment, will call your house
take away your dirty carpets anil return
;hem in a day or two as clean as new.
All on a summer morning—Carpets,
ruga and curtains thoroughly cleaned otj
short notice.
L. C. WICK,
DEALER IN
LUfIBER.
BL'TLEH, PA., THURSDAY, DKCKMBER 13. ISOO
FL JOHN TOPP^FIRATEII
*l* * ' is-*-*"!?
B '* i* .—mm . . I j !»■
| By Weatherby Chcsney and Alick Muaro. ]
T * J
A • OOPYIUOHT, 1900. BV WEAHIERBY CHESNF.V AND ALICK MTSLIA T
- ? LLXU-THATIOX3 BY H. C. CO'JLTAS. I
-» *- * • w
Jlf ■»■■' "« «»»»«» « V
<•'* <•." <• "* <•"
2%,+x
CHAPTER XIV.
A cold gray dawn at length lighted
up the wreck, and as the chilly rays
ruddied ami grew warmer the violence
of the gale began to moderate and the
crested seas lost their cruel whiteness.
The stern half of the galley had been
torn away by the heavy surf and crum
pled up like a sea urchin's shell, and
with it most of the heavily armored
Spanish officers had disappeared. Per
haps a score, too. of the slaves had
been washed away and drowned and
with them three or four of the soldiers
who had rushed into the waist when
we struck. Of the English, howevfcr,
not a man was missing. Used to truck
, ''l bfi A
■U W©
VLO
1 F
'The licit r s shttlliiu.' stint luh "ShuLl
ICC tjtt it shift f
ing with the ocean they had scrambled
to what i' -itsnct was a coign of
safety anil now « :;;ste:ed. a brawny,
well armed group i.ti I lie forecastle
head
A short .-aliie oil from where we
were weiiu'd the land rose high and
jiry a small island, so far as we could
make out in tin* as yet uncertain light.
"The water's shallow." said .lob Tre
balion with his Iwoadest grin. "Shall
we go ashore, captcin?"
"We can wade most of the way,"
said I. "and. for the rest, those who
can't swim can raft themselves on
planks. There are plenty of them
floating about."
"What about sharks?" observed
Alec.
"Oh. ho. ho!" chuckled the old man.
"Never fear the sharks They've en
joyed a good meal of fat Spaniard;
they won't be hungry for lean Eng
lishmen See. I'll give a lead." And
Into the water he flopped and paddled
With liis arms to the shore.
The rest of us followed. 3ome swim-
Ming. some on fragments o" wreckage,
and in a short time all got safely to
land.
It was a small island about two
miles iu girth that we had been cast
on. and the myriad sea fowl circling
around our heads showed us there was
little danger of starvation. But as
there was no pond or stream in sight
half of us scattered in search of fresh
watqr, while the rest busied them
selves on the shore or in the surf, lay
ing hold of any bits of wreckage that
might drift within reach. Spanish
bandit aud Spanish soldier worked
cheerfully beside the Eugiish sailor,
and no one could have told that a
dozen hours ago they were flying at
one another's throats. But, though we
had by no means ceased to regard the
Spaniards as prisoners, the pressing
need of the moment thrust party ran
cors Into the shade. We were all ship
wrecked. and for the time everything
else was of minor moment.
The blazing sun quickly dried what
ever we wore abje to rescue from the
water, so we were soon in a position
to light u fire with which to cook the
sen fowl which some of us had caught.
Before nightfall we had a goodly array
of those hanging on spits before two
huge fires and scores of fresh eggs
roasting in the embers.
"Better food this than you've I n
accustomed to of late," cried the old
man, as he threw down a carcass from
which he had been tearing they tough,
-fishy fiber with his teeth. "But the
sea fowl will soon become scary if we
stay here long, and then we shall have
to take to barbecued Spaniard. Oh,
ho, ho! A juicy morsel, iudeed!"
I turned from the old ghoul with a
gesture of horror. He noticed it, and
I thought he winced.
"Ah, ha, ha! Jack, how do you like
the prospect?" he inquired bauteringly.
"Oh, ho! I'd give another toe nail, if
the torment chamber had left me one,
to see those great jaws of yours mum
bling over a rib of fat Spanish mut
ton."
"Peace, cannibal," said I. "The sea
fowl will last us for many a long day,
and when they're gone we can live on
slielllish."
"Nay, but the old man's right. Mas
ter Topp," growled Jan Pengony's deep
voice. "Gulls soon gets scary, an fish
is bad to depend on, let alone being thin
sort o' food to fight on at the best o'
times."
"Then," said Alec decidedly, "the
sooner we get away from here the bet
ter. There are six other Islands clus
tered uear us. One is a mere wave
washed rock; four are, I think, about
the size of this, and one, which lies
some league and a half to the south
east, appears to be of considerable
size."
"Aye, captain, if we had a boat to
reach it," put in Pengony.
"We have what's as good—the ma
terial for a raft." replied Alec. "Now,
I think that the first thing to be done
is for a suiail party of us to raft it
across to that larger island, and see
what prospect it offers. If bad, we are
no worse off than before, and can come
back and rnak" H larger raft on which
we may attempt t lie voyage to the
Spanish main itself. And once there,
and in the neighborhood of Spanish
towns, we shall be able to improve our
fortunes by a sufficiently geuerous use
of our English muscle."
"We'll help ourselves and spoil the
thieving dons, no fear, captain," ob
served one of the men. "But if that's
to be our venture what call to go over
to tiie large Island at all?"
"Because I hope we may find a ship
there, or even a town. I have heard
that the Spaniards have pearl fisheries
hereabout, which ought to prove an
easy quarry for us, while the other
plan may meau a long, tiresome hunt
lasting for months."
"Axing your pardon, captain," said
another, "but wouldn't it be best to
build the big raft straight away? If
there's Spaniards on that there island,
why, then, the more of us as there is
to tackle 'em the hettc an if there
bain't, why, we can just go straight
on."
"No," said Alec; "a raft large enough
to carry all of us would be heavy to
handle and far too conspicuous. I pro
pose to build a light vessel, just big
enough for four, without being cum
bersome. In this we could go across
quickly by night and land unobserved,
while a larger raft, sluggish in its
movements, would certainly be seen if
the island is inhabited, and an arque
btisier or a couple of archers could
pick us off one by one before we got a
chance of landing."
"Oh. ho. ho!" put in the old man at
this point. "The youngster's got some
sense in him after all! Do as your cap
tain tells you, you dolts, and If he lands
you all in heaven you can say it's the
old man's fault!"
The men said no more, for they yield
ed to the old dotard's counsel when an
other. and he a man of unimpaired
brain, might not have succeeded in
persuading them. Even I felt more
comfortable now that the plan bad
been approved by this uncanny author
ity.
The discussion was closed, for no one
iiad anything more to say. We set a
watch to guard against possible at
tempts ou the part of our prisoners and
addressed ourselves to slumber.
During the next day a small raft was
made, and when uight fell four of us
embarked on it. Alec and myself, with
lan Pengony and apotber—the two last
being enormously powerful men—form
id the crew, and after we had cautious
ly paddled out through the re#f we set
a rag of sail and steered a course by
the stars. The sea was smooth, the
wind was dead aft. and. slipping
through the water at about a knot and
a half an hour, we made the island a
little before midnight The surf broke
at the foot of tall, forbidding cliffs, and
as there appeared no place for a land
ing we lowered the sail and. taking to
our paddles, worked round to the
southward.
In about a mile we came ipon a
scran of shelving bench upon which,
alt r much trouble, we drew the raft,
ana then h»»t out to explore.
It wu.» mighty hard work scaling the
cliff, and all our nii:ib!eness was need
ed to keep clear of falls. But we reach
ed the top at last and at once found
ourselves in a tangled liaue bound for
est, through which it was furiously
hard work to press a passage. It did
not, however, extend very far. and
presently we came out Into the open.
The sea fowl were not quite so nu
merous as on Galley island, but there
Were gay pluma;;ed parrots and other
land birds in abundance. There were
traces, too, of four footed beasts, and
presently we flushed from a piece of
swamp a tine drove of pigs, which
made our mouths water and our heels,
itch to give chase. This, however. Alec
forbade, saying that hunting cries
might be dangerous if there were Span
iards in the neighborhood. He bade
i'f walk prudently, therefore, rove our
eyes and kennel our tongues.
"Why all this caution?" said I with
a laugh. "There's never live toed foot
troddeu these thickets siuee deluge
time."
"Very possibly. Jack. But have you
no*' sense besides those keen eyes of
yours? Turn your nose up wind, man."
"Well?"
"Now Sniff."
"There's nothing but a smell of heat
ed marsh and rotting leaves, with a
sprinkling of pungent flower odors ev
ery now and again."
"Yes? And what bush do you think
those same flowers grow on, Jack?"
"How should I know? I never learn
ed their outlandish names. Firetree
perhaps. It smells something like
smoke."
"Something like smoke?" replied
Alec dryly.
"Why, it Is smoke!"
"Aye. smoke sure enough. I saw a
thin blue wreath of It floating up above
the clump of bushes ahead there not a
minute since. Look! There goes an
other!"
"Phew!" said I. "Philistines, for an
emperor's ransom!"
"Exactly." said Alec, "and therefore
It seems to me we had better advance
carefully and reconnoiter their position.
They may be only one or two. or they
may be hundreds. So forward to the
bushes. Keep the cover of the long
grass as much as possible and be ready
to duck down your sconces smartly if
any one puts in an appearance. There's
no use In bringing the whole rookery
round our oars by carelessness."
"Aye. aye, captain," said Jan Pen
gonv. with a grin. "Trust me an Garge
here for that. We haven't forgotten
how a Dartmouth deer's poached yet.
an we've got the wind o' this un. so
It's as easy as making a riled Spaniard
swear."
We went on again through the rank
vegetation, startling more pigs and
keeping a bright lookout for chance
snakes, but not a trace of Spaniards
did we see. and in a very short space
we were peering through the farther
end of the copse. Neither house nor
tire was in sight, but the thin trunk of
smoke rising in front of us could mean
nothing but that there was a fire burn
ing somewhere out of our sight. It rose
from a rocky fissure In the open
ground, circled listlessly into the air
and was carried away on the wings of
the pen tie breeze.
"The Lord be good to us!" said one
of the men in awed tones; "we'se got
ten ou a burning island that'll belch
out fire an melted rocks, like the vol
canoes they tell of on the Peru coast."
"Sniff it. Gargo; sniff It," said Pen
gony. "Smoke like that hain't coine
from the devil's stithy. There's brim
stone in his'n. an this be honest wood
reek or 1 never smelt my mother's fire.
Lift up your bottle nose an sniff,
Ga rge."
Like a hound at fault, Garge sniffed,
and as he sniffed pondered at some
length.
"Aye. woodreek sure enough," he
rumbled out at last and relapsed into
puzzled silence.
Meanwhile Alec and I had advanced
to the fissure and tried to look down it,
but the pungent vapors made all the
air in the shaft to dance, and at the
same time bit our eyes so smartly that
we were glad to draw our heads back
out of their reach as quickly as possi
ble. We could see nothing at all.
"I have it. Jack," said Alec in a whis
per. "There's a cave somewhere below
us, and its occupants are cooking their
breakfast; that's the meaning of the
wood smoke."
"A cave? Then it -must have some
other opening besides this chimney, if
there an* men in it."
"Of course: at the foot of the cliff- If
we go to that knoll in front there, we
ought to command a view of it."
"Forward, then, and we'll tind out."
"Cautiously, Jack; cautiously! We
don't want to bring the whole hornets'
nest about our ears. We had better
tell the other two to hide in the copse
and fill their bellies with plantains,
while you and I reconnoiter."
We did so, and then crept cautiously
forward to the brow of the cliff. The
sight that met our eyes when we gain
ed the crown of the knoll and looked
out from among the graceful fern
fronds which sheltered it was one to
make a sailor's Heart sad.
There before us lay rt landlocked har
bor. sheltered from outside view on
every side, yet capable of giving an
chorage to an armada if need be. Not
a vessel floated on its smooth waters,
and a solitary seal was swimming
about near its upper end. now fishing
for his breakfast beneath the surface,
now erecting his head and staring anx
iously about him. We paid but little
heed to him. however, for at the har
bor entrance we saw that which to any
true mariner is the saddest sight in the
whole world.
A finger of rock rose, black and ugly,
from the soft blue waters and. wedged
into a cleft which divided it to the wa
ter's edge. If»y the corpse of what had
once been a stout and stately ship, a
snowy plumaged 'arrack. Now, with
her foremast snapped like a carrot
above the round top. a great, yawning
chasm in her waist and rivers of clear
water hiding into the retreating ebb
from a score of starting seams in her
sides, she was but a battered ruin, a
ghastly wave racked wreck.
A hundred different signs—the litter
of cordage on her deck, the streamers
of fluttering canvas hanging over her
shattered bulwarks, the tangled fringe
of broken spars and sea torn planks
floating like fallen leaves around her—
oil made it easy for a seaman's eye to
judge that she had not lain there long,
and the great storm of two days ago
gave an exact date.
No sign of life showed upon her lit
tered decks. The sun was high in the
morning heavens, but her gunners
were not furbishing up her culverins
and falconets in the waists. No candle
trimmers were in the poop lanterns
cleaning the glasses and refilling the
sconces; no cooUs were busy heating
the great ship's kettle to boil the morn
ing meal. The last sentry had left his
post without calling relief. The silence
of death was over all.
In the open channel which lay be
tween the carrack and the land spit
there floated something over which a
dozen sea fowl were screaming and
fighting. A glance was enough to show
what it was for which they fought; it
was the ill starred lover of a mer
maiden—some stout mariner swept
from the decks by a huge green wave
and then seized by snowy arms and
carried away to a beauteous home
among the branching sea shrubs.
I could see in my mind's eye all that
happened from the moment when he
was loosed from his trance.
He yawns, stretches, shakes himself,
awakens. The mermaid is standing
beside him, glass in hand, combing her
streaming tresses. She turns, meets
his gaze and speaks in words which
till him with delight. She puts a conch
shell to her ruby lips and blows a call.
It sounds afar through the waving
bushes, through the rainbow colored
weeds, over the open plain, through
the tangled forest. The brilliant fishes
hear the note and shoot away through
the limpid water with its message. A
school of dolphins cry holiday to their
master and come gamboling up to the
tryst to lie in a gleaming circle ou the
jeweled sand. Then follow troops of
merniaidens, some riding on the backs
of shaggy sea horses, some racing
along in shell chariots drawn by teams
of emulous porpoises; and after them
come the mermen, bearing posies of
fair sea flowers which wither when
they meet the air. All stand and mar
vel at the mortal who has ventured
down among tlio glories of their en
chanted kingdom.
Then there bursts out a strain of deli
clous melody, and the mermaldens'
chant, which rises and falls to the
throb of the sea bosom, tells the lone
stranger how he must comport himself
if he wishes to endure In this land of
his new birth.
And this did 1 hear them sing:
THE GREETING.
Welcome, brifc.it welcome. O wave cradled mari
ner I
Welcome to t»ask in our beauteous realm.
Pleasure it is tor the merfolk to minister
Unto a mortal beneath ocean's whelm.
THE PROFFER.
We are thy servants, lord, slaves to thy beckon
ing;
Come, let us lead to the great ara king's hall;
Seat thee on Neptune's throne, 'neath azure COT
ering.
There to receive our best riches, our all.
Gold of the galleon groans in thy treasuries;
Jewels the chastest we'll lay at thy knee;
Fruit trees most curious blow on thy terraces.
Flowers, heaven nurtured, to brighten the sea.
Pearls we will bring to thee, corals and cowries.
Perfume thy robe with the gray ambergris.
Uen give their hands to thee, maidens their dow
ries;
Never, great lord, shall our fealty cease.
THE WARNING.
Bat, oh, lord, bewarel
Have a care, have a care.
Keep thy beating heart still in its breast.
Have a carc, have a aare.
Good my lord, oh, bewarel
Love for maidens is not for our guest.
Love for maidens Is not for the mer
folk's guest. The man knows that it
is true and sighs as he looks at the
radiant beauty round him—comely
forms and soft white skins coyly half
hidden beneath the trembling cascades
of their silken tresses. He sits In the
stately palace they have given him
and covers his face with cruel bands to
shut out the light of a hundred lus
trous eyes. In vain those ravishing
glances must prevail. The shielding
fingers uni<asp, the bowed head erects
"See, there they go!"
Itself, and the man is lost nis heart
swells within him. and half delirious
with ecstasy, half mad with terror, he
drinks deep down into the cup of pleas
ure aud feels every moment his amour
ed body becoming lighter, more fatally
light.
He clutches the sides of his throne
and again closes his eyes for an in
stant. But only for an instant, for the
loadstone is one that none has ever yet
withstood. The merniaidens see his
strait and stretch out their soft, white
arms, bidding him stay. Their eyes
flash love unspeakable. Their floating
curls caress his burning cheek. The
perfume of their breath Intoxicates
him. With a cry of joy he lets his
willing fingers loose their grip of the
throne an<l reaches out a lover's arms
to clasp the nearest
Fatal movement: Like an arrow he
sh'i: ts up from among them, and their
wail mingles with his cry of doom as
he rises.
A swollen corpse, he floats alone on
the surface of the ocean, and the laugh
ing mermaids take themselves again to
their interrupted play.
CHAPTER XV.
"Wake up. Jack," whispered Alec,
nudging me. "While you've been sleep
in? the snails have made up their
minds to creep out of their shells.
See. there they go!" And he pointed
to some half score of men who were
making their way down to a boat
which lay drawn up on the beach. A
Jag of rock almost concealed it. and It
was only when we saw the point for
which the men were making that we
caught sight of the boat at all.
"What shall we do?" said I. "Call
the other two fellows and have at them
at once?"
"No use. We might manage that
armful, but no doubt there are plenty
more where they came from. We
should simply be running into their
net."
"Are we to let them wander about at
their own sweet will? Look! Those
fellows are oIT toward the carrack!"
"Can't help ourselves that I can see.
So you'll just have to let your valor
simmer quietly, old hothead!"
"We shall have a score or two of
them up here pig hunting for their
dinners directly."
"Yes; they won't be content to patrol
the shingle down there like so many
harmless crabs."
"Thpn let's get to our raft at once
and back to Galley Island. There's no
plunder to be made out of these fel
lows. so where's the use of meddling
| with them?"
"Plunder! Jack, 1 do believe you're
j the most thoroughgoing rascal of a sea
thief as ever deserved short shrift and
a fathom of rusty chain!"
"Hard words. Alec!" I retorted hotly.
"But true words, though none but
your sworn shipmate dared have used
them. Hark! What's that?"
There arose from below a sound
which caused us to prick our ears to
their sharpest angle. A body of men
had emerged from the cliff leading
some prisoners with them, and one of
the latter was singing an English sea
song. The words came up to us dis
tinctly through the clear morning air:
Sail away.
Hack away.
Plunder I [Clank.]
Gather all the valuables you can.
Come back.
Nothing lack.
Thunder. [Clank.]
Scatter all the money like a Kan.
His mates Joined In the chorus with
all the recklessness of men who know
that they are In too tight a place for
their conduct to matter. The guards,
however, seemed to think the merri
ment untimely and did not spare their
| buffets, and one of them, catching the
i principal singer a whack on the head
! that knocked his cap off, exposed to
view a smooth shining scalp that was
as hairless as a mirror.
"By all that's surprising. It's Willie
Trehalion!" said Alec in a whisper.
"Sure enough, but how did he get
here?"
"Ou the carrack, of course, but not as
a willing prisoner, I'll go bail. Just
hear how he's cursing! Confound the
foolish fellow; why can't he keep his
tongue quiet, now that he's in their
hands? We shall see him knifed be
fore our eyes in a minute. We must let
him know we're here."
And up from among the slende- fern
fronds arose the "peewhit, peewhit"
of a plover.
Willie's solitary eye glanced for a
second at the knoll on the low cliff's
edge, and then he burst out again
into his song as cheerily as if he were
seated on an English tavern bench.
Presently the cortege came to a
standstill, and three armored Span
iards. seating themselves on bowlders,
motioned for the prisoners to be drawn
up in line before them.
"A court martial!" 1 whispered.
One of the Spaniards began to ad
dress the prisoners In English, and it
seemed to me that his voice was
strangely familiar.
"Traitorous curs!" said he, "do you
make full confession? Come, you dog,
there, you with the crippled eye and
the crippled hand, you who worst mis
used your trust, do you speak for your
companions?"
"Meaning me, Don Uglyface?" quoth
Willie Trehalion with unruflled compo
sure.
"Measure your words!" said the
Spaniard angrily.
"Aye. with a lead line, not with a foot
rule. I bain't going to stint language
just because you've promised to bang
me in an hour's time. I tell you plain
to your yellow teeth that 1 plumped
the carrack on them rocks o' purpose.
I could have fetched her in through the
fair channel an brought her up to snug
anchor within a cable o' this very spot,
an that without losing a spar or carry
ing away a shred o' canvas. But, Se
nor Spaniard, I didn't choose. An if I'd
got her again with a tine reef on the
lee I'd up helm an risk 40 drownings
in welcome. So, Don Migael, you can
Wrap that in your cigarillo an smoke
It"
"Don Miguel!" said Alec, with a gasp.
"I knew I hail heard the voice before."
"Yes. it's Inez s father," said I gloom
ily.
"Then we'd better not allow our
selves to fall into his hands. There are
old scores against us, and Don Miguel
Is not the man to forget to wipe them
off. God help Willie Trehalion!"
"Hush!" said I. "He's speaking
again. Listen."
Willie Trehalion appeared to be en
joying himself down there on the
beach. He was by nature a talker,
and his subject seemed to have in
spired him with eloquence. The Span
iards did not interrupt him, but it was
little safety that I argued from their
silence.
"Seven months ygone, Don Miguel,"
said Willie, "you lured me an those
other lads a boat i yon craft at La
Guayra an gave us fair promises. I
was to be pilot, tliey a crew to show
your own lubbers how to furl a sail an
splice a rope, an for a reward we was
to be given our liberty an set a boa rd
the first English craft that was brought
within hail. We labored willingly an
like fools trusted to a Spaniard's prom
ise. We overhauled all your running
rigging, set up ail your standing rig
ging again, altered your canvas an
made your carrack a seaman's ship
insteail o' a soldier's as she was afore.
An then how did you treat us? We
had to lie on the deck all through the
glass, like so many willocks, with no
shelter from the rains an no shade
from the sun, an if there was anything
o' a sea the spray drenched us through
an through at every dip she gave. Like
dogs, we was given the dirty dishes to
lick after your idolatrous stomachs
were satisfied.
"Aye, aye, Don Miguel.'" cried the
his. voice rising almost »
sliriek as he burle<l out his striug of ac- i
cusations. "You can frown an stamp
your foot an put your hand to your
sword hilt, but you can't deny the gos- ■
pel truth o' what I say. If wtulid well,
you thanked us with curses; if 111. you
Messed us with blows. Then when a
smali brig hove in sight an. drawing ;
near, flew a Plymouth ensign, we made
bold to remind you o' your promise.
Ha. ha. ha! We might have saved
our breath! A Spanish promise! A 1
Castilian oath! Easy made, both o' j
'em. an just as easy forgotten. You j
sneered at us an said we were doomed i
to everlasting captivity. Then you j
bade us bear arms against our country
men. forgetting maybe that we wasn't j
born south o' the Pyrenees. We re- j
fused. You flogged us with leaded J
whips. clap[>ed us under hatches, sailed ;
a trifle nearer the brig an then, feel
ing your courage ooze away, went 'bout
ship like a lily livered coward that you
are an ran in under the guns o' La
Guayra. where she weren't able to get i
at you."
Don Miguel's sallow face turned livid
at the taunt, and I expected to sec him
run the boatswain through on the spot,
for a sharp tongue is a weapon which
more often than not turns Its point
back on him who uses It. With a vio
lent effort, however, he restrained him
self and for the present let the squat,
square mariner alone, evidently reserv
ing him for a worse fate.
"Have your say out to the full," he
said, with an angry gesture. "There
will be a bitter repayment when you
have done."
"Thank you, Senor Jack Spaniard,"
replied Willie Trehalion coolly, "but It
seems to me there baln't much more to
say. When I've called a villain both
liar an coward, I don't think I want
to add anything else. Other black
words would fall white on him after
those."
"Do you know what I shall do with
you?"
"Hang me," said Willie, with a con
temptuous shrug of bis broad shoul
ders.
"You think so?" replied the Spaniard,
with a cold smile. "Maybe before long
you'll hope so too. But a rope would
not pay one tithe of my debt; it will
require a far slower death than a mere
dance on nothing. I shall have a post
let Into the sand yonder at low water.
You will be lashed to It. The flood be
gins to mak? about sundown, and there
will be five hours for you to regret the
loss of my ship In before you draw
your last gurgle. I have often heard
you boast that the sea and you were
old friends, and that many is the pleas
ant tussle you've had together in which
the sea has been beaten. Well, you
shall have one more duel together, and
it will be curious to see which of you
comes out the master this time.
"And now," he continued, turning to
the other ten prisoners, "can any of
you tell me how far we are from the
main?"
"Happen a hundred league; happen
two." replied one fellow gruflly.
"Ah." said Don Miguel, looking keen
ly at the speaker. "And will you un
dertake to build a small craft from the
wreck of my carraclt to take some of
us there to seek assistance? I promise
you your liberty and a capful of gold
pieces each. If you will."
"No, you blasted cur, I won't"
growled out the fellow. "May my fin
gers be withered to the bone if they
ever hale rope for you again and may
my eyes drop out of their sockets if
they ever see to drive a nail for you,
except into your cofiin! That's my
answer, and you won't get a different
one from any lad here." And then he
spat contemptuously and relapsed into
silence.
His mates nudged one another with
their bound elbows, and burst Into a
leather lunged cheer of approbation.
"That'B it, lads," sang out Willie
Trehalion. "Stick to it; never give
way, an these unsailorly lubbers will
have to leave their bones on the is
land, unless the devil, their master,
comes to fetch them away in a flaming
chariot o' brimstone."
But at tbis point, at a sign from Don
Miguel, the guards led off our poor Eng
lish lads out of sight—lnto a cave, we
supposed—and as two or three Span
lards showed signs of wanting to scale
the cliff we retreated to the covert
where we had left our two men. In It
we lay close all the rest of the day.
The time was one of plans and plots,
of doubts and difficulties; but, though
we whispered together long and ear
nestly, yet so still did we lie that the
parrakeets perched boldly In the
boughs above us and preened their bril
liant plumage In the sun as though
their nearest enemy were many inlles
away. Great velvet winged butterflies
as large as linnets fluttered past our
eyes, and mosquitoes bit our half naked
bodies, but never a thought had we for
butterfly or mosquito, for our minds
were busy and anxious.
"Willie Trehallon must be rescued
Ismehow," said Alec ror the fortieth
yiiiie, "even though It costs us our lives
to do It." And the rest of us eagerly
assented, for our old boatswain was A
favorite with us all.
The scorching sun above us, arching
his brazen course In fiery splendor, be
gan at last to verge toward the distant
wavy water line. The dancing air grew
cooler and was freshened by a welcome
breeze from the sea. Cautiously we
drew out from among the plantains
and, looking sharply around to make
sure that no one spied us, crept all
four back to the knoll and once more
peeped from beneath the graceful fern
screens.
The tide had not yet turned, and a
couple of Spaniards were fastening a
stout stake in a hole, which they had
scooped beneath the outermost of the
ripples. They laughed and joked over
their work as though It were some holl
dav diversion and every now and then
gave the post a shake to try whether It
was secure.
When they had finished, one of them
must needs lean his back up against
the wood and pretend In pantomime
Down they brought Willie TYehallon and
lashed him to the stake.
that the tide was rising around him,
and, to judge from the shouts of laugh
ter which proceeded from unseen ob
servers under the cliff, his companions
found something intensely humorous In
this grewsome clowning.
Presently there was a shout that the
flood was beginning to make, and down
they brought Willie Trehalion and
lashed him to the stake. The other ten
Kngllshmen were made fast to the out
No. 49
lying trees of a thicket that ran down
to the edge of the beach, and when
they were all secured Don Miguel once
more addressed them:
"I asked you Just now to build me a
ship that would take me away from
this island, and you refused. Well,
senores. there are consequences to tliat
refusal, and I am going to acquaint
you with them. You may think 1 shall
punish you today, but such is not my
plan. 1 a;n simply going to let you en-
Joy the sight of a man drowning by
slow inches before your eyes In order
that you may have the opportunity of
observing what a peculiarly unpieas
ant exit from this world such a death
is. Tomorrow 1 shall again ask one of
you to serve me. If in spite of the les
son of today he refuses, the rest of you
shall see him slowly choked by the ris
ing waters. The next day I shall try
another, and so on. It will be interest
ing to see how many times 1 shall have
to repeat this pleasing spectacle, but
pray do not hurry yourselves to come
to a decision. The island, senores. is a
pleasant one. and < shall not be dis
tressed if my play should run even for
ten nights. It is a thousand pities that
the audience will necessarily be dimin
ished by one at each performance.
Adios, senores!"
And with that he strode away. Some
of the other Spaniards lingered awhile
and then followed him. and the rest, to
the number of perhaps 40, lit a fire and
prepared to see the tragedy to Its close.
Wh n n the kindly shades of night be
gan to steal over the island, we crept
from our eyrie. A bush covered slope
led from the cliff down to the beach,
some hundred yards or so from where
the prisoners stood, and down this we
scrambled, avoiding carefully every lit
tle twig that might betray us by its
snapping and forcing our very breaths
to come lightly lest they should stir
the leaves and give the alarm.
The breeze had dropped, the air was
heavy and still, and the gabble of the
Spaniards' voices came to us softly
through the silence. A slight mist had
blotted out the stars above, and the
only light we had was the fitful glare
of the bonfire. It burned dully for the
most part, giving out dense clouds of
smoke that rolled slowly upward till
they were lost in the dark night, but
every now and then some one would
give the logs a stir, and the darting
flames would for a moment send a lu
rid radiance over the whole scene.
There In the creek we could see Wil
lie Trehalion, with the waters already
up to his chest and bis smooth, bald
head shining like a mirror in the flash
ing firelight Round the fire were
grouped the Spaniards, chatting and
smoking and, standing out dark against
the uncertain blaze, were the ten forms
of the bound Englishmen.
To cut the prisoners' bonds without
at the same time drawing from them a
shout of surprise was work to make
the least nervous fingers tremble. Alec
crept up to the first and, whispering to
him not to move a finger till he was
told, cut the cords that bound him to
the tree. I went to the second and had
Just drawn my knife across the first
"cord when one of the Spaniards, whose
ears were sharper than those of his
fellows, heard what he thought were
suspicious sounds and strolled up to
see what was going on. Motionless we
stood as tree trunks, and, though he
peered curiously Into the thicket, he
could not see us, for at that moment,
fortunately, the fire was burning dim.
He was only half satisfied, though, so
he sat him down within a fathom of
the feet of the man I had been engaged'
upon and there remained.
Heavens, how slowly the leaden min
utes dragged themselves away! Time
had never seemed so long before. Ev
ery now and again, when the laughing
talk of the Spaniards lulled, I could
hear the monotonous lap-lap of the ris
ing tide, which told that Willie Tre
balion's respite w r as growing every mo
ment more fatally less. I could see
him, too, when the dancing firelight
fell upon the waters, and, though his
stolid face showed no sign of fear, still
his solitary eye roved the shore unceas
ingly, backward and forward, looking
for the help which, it might be, would
not come in time. The suspense was
awful.
Suddenly a voice from beside the fire
called out, "Pepe, you rascal, come and
join In a madrigal."
Pepe rose, stretched himself, heaved
a pebble playfully at one of the bound
men and went
As the first words of the watchers'
madrigal rose round the fire I drew my
knife across the second man's thongs.
Alec loosened the third man and I the
fourth, and then a blaze of summer
lightning flashed through the sky and
for a moment lit up the smooth, shin
ing head of our boatswain, whose chin
was now being lapped by the hungry
ripples.
There was a shout Some prying
Spaniard had spied us in the brief glare
of the lightning flash. The madrigal
ceased in the middle of a bar and then
—confusion!
t- [TO BX CONTINUED.] J
Board Inn Some StMlu That Orel*
Tender Under a Fonr Ton Hammer.
"Speaking of luck," said a reminis
cent man, "reminds me of how fortune
came to a boarding house keeper in a
mill town where 1 once lived. There
came to the house when he first struck
the town a new millhand. This board
er seemed at first just like any other
young man with a good appetite, out
of whom the profit to be made was
likely to be small, but It was speedily
discovered that he was a man of abil
ity and promise, who was likely to get
ou at the mill. He made great prog
ress at the works. It wasn't long be
fore he was at the head of the section
of the forge department there, the boss,
in fact, of the four ton hammers.
"As far as he was concerned the only
thing that marred his happiness was
the toughness of the steaks they had
at the boarding house, and that they
were tough nobody could deny. But
he was equal to the occasion there as
he had proved himself to be at the
mill.
" 'Madam,' he said one day to the
landlady, 'if you will let me take the
steaks you buy before you cook them I
will make them just as tender as can
be without any cost to you whatso
ever.'
"Now, he had paid his board regular
ly, and he was at that moment virtual
ly the star boarder. The landlady
handed him the next morning without
hesitation the bundle of steaks Just as
it came from the butcher, and the ham
mer boss just took 'em over to the mill,
this being before the regular starting
time in the morning, and, adjusting
one of the four ton hammers to about
the right gauge, started It up and ran
the steaks a couple of times under the
hammer.
"Good? Why, they were Just simply
beautiful, and every morning after that
the genial hammer boss used to run
across to the mill before breakfast and
quietly, without the knowledge of any
one, run the landlady's steaks back
and forth once under the four ton ham
mer. The fame of the landlady's ten
der steaks grew rapidly, as did also,
naturally, the number of her boarders.
And so she accumulated wealth."—New
York Sua.